The Atlanta Falcons received three primetime games in the 2026 NFL schedule release, including matchups against the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, and Baltimore Ravens as Kevin Stefanski begins his first season as head coach.
The Atlanta Falcons will look to return to the postseason for the first time since 2017, and they will do so with their fourth head coach since the playoff drought began. Kevin Stefanski, the 19th coach in franchise history, and the rest of the Falcons found out exactly who and when they will face this season to make that goal a reality.
On Thursday night, the NFL released the entire league schedule in a primetime event. It will not be the last time the Falcons are discussed in the night slot this season, as they were awarded multiple primetime games for 2026. The team picked up 3 games that will feature Atlanta, ranging from late September to mid-October.
The team will play their only primetime opponent that reached the postseason last year on Week 3, September 24th, when the team will travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football. The Packers made the 2025 playoffs as the 7th seed in the NFC, but were eliminated by the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card Round. It will be the first time since 2023 that the two teams face each other.
The second primetime game will come after the long prep week, as the team will immediately return under the lights to take on their NFC South rivals, the New Orleans Saints, on Monday Night Football on October 5th, week 4 of the season. The Falcons won both of the divisional matchups against the Saints last season, but will need to prove it again under the new coaching regime.
Week 5 will also be a primetime game for Atlanta, and the only one at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons will host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football on October 11th. Like Atlanta, the Ravens also made a change at the head coach position for the first time in 18 seasons after moving on from John Harbaugh and hiring former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.